The village of Benek was a tableau of grief and confusion when Sebastian emerged from the burning forest. Smoke still rose in the distance, a dark plume against the grey sky, but the flames had not reached the village itself. The fire had been contained and controlled by Sebastian, the forest would grow again. It always did. But the darkness that had festered there for years was gone, consumed by the inferno that Sebastian had unleashed.
The village square was crowded with villagers, their faces twisted with confusion and grief. They had gathered around the bodies of their fallen, their voices rising and falling in a chorus of wails and accusations. Ten bodies lay on the ground, their eyes vacant, their faces frozen in expressions of sudden, inexplicable death.
The elder lay at the center of the gathering, his pale eyes still open, his mouth still frozen in the middle of a word that would never be finished. Around him, his accomplices lay scattered, their bodies crumpled, their lives extinguished by an unseen hand. Some of the villagers were weeping openly. Others stood in stunned silence. A few, a very few looked at the dead with expressions that might have been relief.
And there, near the edge of the crowd, Estrid knelt beside the body of her father.
Her face was pale, her eyes red with tears, her hands clasped together as if in prayer. She had been talking to him just moments ago, sharing a quiet moment in the midst of the village's strange silence. And then he had fallen, so suddenly, without warning, without reason. One moment he was there, and the next he was dead. She had tried to rouse him, had called his name, had shaken his shoulders. But there had been no response. No breath. No heartbeat. Nothing.
Sebastian walked through the crowd, his yellow eyes fixed on the grieving girl. The villagers parted before him, their faces were full of fear and suspicion. They had heard the elder's confession. They knew what had been done. Yet they knew not what the Witcher just did.
He reached Estrid and knelt beside her. His voice was low, gentle, "I'm sorry for your loss.. How are you feeling?"
She looked up at him, her eyes hollow, her voice barely a whisper. "I was talking to him... just talking. We were speaking of the weather, of the harvest, of nothing important. And then he fell. He just fell, and he didn't get up. I don't understand. I don't..."
"I'm sorry," Sebastian said. "I know this is hard. I know it doesn't make sense.. But I need you to understand that what happened was not your fault. None of this was your fault."
Dandelion appeared at his side, his face pale, his voice full of awkward sympathy that was entirely genuine. "We'll be leaving soon, lass. But if there's anything you need.. anything at all, you just say the word. We may not be much, but we're good at helping."
Zoltan cut him off. "She doesn't need anything from us. She needs time. Time and space to grieve. The last thing she needs is a pair of bumbling fools trying to cheer her up with bad jokes and worse advice."
Sebastian nodded slowly. He looked at Estrid, his yellow eyes meeting hers. "You should leave Velen when you have the chance," he said. "Go somewhere better. Somewhere that isn't so broken. People like you are rare in these parts, Estrid. People with a good heart, a kind soul, a willingness to see the truth even when it's easier to look away. Don't let this place destroy what makes you who you are."
Estrid looked at him, her eyes searching his face. "I figured out what you did," she said, "I saw the elder dead too. After what he admitted to..." She paused, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I know this was your doing. I know you killed him. I know you killed them all.."
Sebastian's expression did not change. "They brought it on themselves, this was the only way to save everyone, and to keep those innocent unharmed." he said, his voice carrying no hint of apology or regret. "I don't expect you to thank me. I don't expect you to understand. But I do expect you to survive, and I do expect you to live."
Estrid was silent for a long moment, her eyes fixed on the witcher's face. Then she nodded slowly. "I can't stay here," she said. "I'll go north. To Redania, maybe. Possibly to Novigrad. I'll go with my mother."
Sebastian's brow furrowed. "I don't recommend Novigrad," he said, "The city is dangerous, especially for those without power or protection. But anywhere is better than here. Anywhere is better than this godforsaken place."
He rose, his hand resting briefly on her shoulder. Then he turned and walked toward his mare.
Dandelion and Zoltan fell into step beside him, their faces carrying the same expression. They mounted their horses.
Sebastian paused at the edge of the village, his yellow eyes fixed on Estrid. He nodded once, a small, almost imperceptible gesture of farewell.
Estrid nodded back, her eyes still red with tears, her face still pale with grief.
Sebastian turned his mare and rode away from the village, his companions falling into step behind him.
.
.
.
.
The road stretched before them, the rolling hills of Velen. The grey sky pressed down on them, but it felt lighter now, as if some great weight had been lifted from the land.
Zoltan glanced back towards the direction of the village they left. "I'll never understand these people. They stared at us like we're the monsters. Like we're the ones who brought death to their doorstep. We just saved them. We ended the curse. We killed the monster that was tormenting them. And they look at us like we're the ones who.."
Dandelion shook his head. "I know, right? What's with those looks? It's not like we enjoyed any of this. It's not like we wanted to.."
Sebastian cut him off. "Some things you can never heal," he said, his yellow eyes fixed on the horizon. "No matter how many curses you lift, no matter how many monsters you kill. Grief doesn't just disappear. Hatred doesn't just fade. All you can do is move forward and hope that, in time, the wounds will scar over. The scars will remain. But they will also serve as a reminder of what was overcome."
"I'm just glad we're leaving this hell hole. I've had my fill of Velen for a lifetime. The mud, the misery, the constant stench of death and desperation. If I never see another swamp or bog or cursed forest, it'll be too soon." Zoltan said.
Dandelion nodded vigorously. "You don't have to tell me. If it weren't for you guys, I would have left on my own. I would have packed my bags and walked all the way to Vizima, if that's what it took. I've had enough of this place to last me a hundred years."
Zoltan laughed. "You can't do that. You're too much of a wuss to run off on your own. You'd probably end up in a ditch somewhere, singing to yourself about how brave you are while a pack of drowners circled you."
Dandelion's face flushed with indignation. "That's not true! I've survived plenty of adventures. I've faced down bandits and monsters and.."
Zoltan cut him off, "Aye, you have. With Geralt at your side. And now Seb. And a dozen other people who actually know how to fight. Face it, lad. You're a lover, not a fighter. And that's fine. Just don't pretend to be something you're not."
Dandelion opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. He muttered something under his breath, too quiet for Zoltan to hear, and fell silent.
Sebastian was not smiling.
His yellow eyes were fixed on the road ahead, his expression distant and unreadable. The head of the leshen hung from his horse, its ancient eyes hollow and dead, it was a both a trophy and a reminder of what he had done, of the darkness he had faced and overcome. But it was also a reminder of the cost, the lives that had been lost, the pain that had been inflicted.
Dandelion noticed the silence. He shifted uncomfortably in his saddle. "So... to Vizima?" he said.
Zoltan nodded slowly, his voice carrying the same tone of forced cheerfulness. "Aye. To Vizima."
They rode in silence, but they had done what they had set out to do. They had lifted the curse. They had brought justice to the guilty. They had saved a girl from a fate worse than death.
And that, Sebastian thought, was something worth holding onto. Something worth remembering despite all.
/-\
If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Shadow Monarch: In One Piece / Shadow Monarch in DC
&
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my pat-reon / FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to More Chapters Ahead of Release on All of My Stories!